The invention of xe2x80x98Gem Starxe2x80x99, a new and distinctive cultivar of strawberry plant , is a result of the cross breeding between xe2x80x98B2xe2x80x99 (an unpatented JandP selection) and xe2x80x98A3xe2x80x99 (an unpatented JandP selection). The resulting plant was selected in a controlled breeding plot at JandP Research""s cultivated field located in Naples, Fla. during the fruiting season of 1997-1998. It was designated as xe2x80x98JP2xe2x80x99 by the inventor. This cultivar is botanically identified as Fragaria xananassa Duch. xe2x80x98Gem Starxe2x80x99 has been propagated by runners and meristem culture in Naples, Fla. as well as in the commercial nurseries in United States and Canada. It has been trialed in the field of growers in North Carolina and Florida. xe2x80x98Gem Starxe2x80x99 plant retains its distinctive characteristics and reproduces true to type in successive generations.
The commercial cultivar which we believe to be closest to xe2x80x98Gem Starxe2x80x99 from those known to us is xe2x80x98Chandlerxe2x80x99, (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,262). However, there are several characteristics of xe2x80x98Gem Starxe2x80x99 that are different or not possessed by xe2x80x98Chandlerxe2x80x99. Those are:
(1). Anthracnose crown rot tolerance: The plant of xe2x80x98Gem Starxe2x80x99 is tolerant to anthracnose crown rot disease, which is one of the major diseases in strawberry production in the southeastern United States. xe2x80x98Chandlerxe2x80x99 is susceptible to anthracnose disease.
(2). Fruit size: The fruit size of the primary fruit of xe2x80x98Gem Starxe2x80x99 is much larger than that of xe2x80x98Chandlerxe2x80x99.
(3). Fruit color: The fruit color of xe2x80x98Gem Starxe2x80x99 is lighter than that of xe2x80x98Chandlerxe2x80x99.
(4). Isozymes in leaf extracts: isozyme analyses see Table 1. (a) The phosphoglucoisomerase (PGI) isozyme banding pattern for xe2x80x98Gem Starxe2x80x99 is A4 whereas xe2x80x98Chandlerxe2x80x99 is A1(b) The leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) isozyme banding pattern for xe2x80x98Gem Starxe2x80x99 and xe2x80x98Chandlerxe2x80x99 is B3. (c) The malate dehydrogenase (MDH) isozyme banding for xe2x80x98Gem Starxe2x80x99 is C1 whereas xe2x80x98Chandlerxe2x80x99 is C2.
All isozyme analyses were conducted using leaf tissue. Reference: J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 106:684-687, (1981); USDA Forest Service General Technical Report PSW-64,(1982); and Tanksley,S. D. and Orton, T. J. Isozymes in Plant Genetics and Breeding, Part A, pp. 469-516 (Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., 1984).
As shown in Table 1 xe2x80x98Gem Starxe2x80x99 can be unambiguously distinguished from xe2x80x98Chandlerxe2x80x99 by using the above-mentioned isozyme patterns.